


groove your way (into my heart)

by efaeria



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dancers, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:28:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29938962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/efaeria/pseuds/efaeria
Summary: When Kozume Kenma went to dance camp that summer, his only goal in mind was to play things safe. Let Akaashi take the lead and just go with the flow—take things one beat at a time and never go out of his way to do something completely unnecessary. Then, someone like Kuroo Tetsurou came along and with his charming and confusing nature, grooved his way—quite literally—into his life, and the more time he spent with the boy, the more Kenma felt uncertain.For the first time in his life, Kenma found himself refusing to stay still.Would a chance affair, some unpredictable friendships and maybe a shot at love give Kenma more than one reason to discover that dancing could be as fun as it used to be?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16
Collections: Haikyuu Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so excited to share this with all of you!!!
> 
> This is my entry for this year's Haikyuu!! Big Bang and I had so much fun writing and imagining everyone dancing for fun (aha) so I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it. This was originally based on a twt thread I made, which you can find here: [thread](https://twitter.com/B0KUAKA_/status/1255491024702636033?s=20). Also, thank you so, so much to [Andy](https://king--gary.tumblr.com/) for the beta!
> 
> Also, there is a playlist for this fic at Spotify: [groove your way (into my heart) playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51JubpHA22EyrNWAgDteD6?si=pejdEjF5SCKFlCGHAPSKew&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1)
> 
> The playlist will be updated every time a new chapter is published! I will be posting the rest of the chapters every other day, so please look forward to it. Thank you and enjoy!

****

**Chapter 1.**

For a dancer, Kozume Kenma was indifferent to a lot of things about dancing. 

Even though it’s the one activity (aside from gaming) he chose to partake in daily, every time someone would call him out for his relative disregard for it, Kenma found himself at a loss for words.

‘ _Aren’t you excited about dancing?_ ’ 

‘ _Are you going to dance even after high school?’_

What did they want to hear him say? That he wanted to dance 24/7 if he could? That he lived and breathed dancing, and would love to do so even after high school? Was that a thing? 

Did it always have to be one thing or another with these people?

And with that, Kenma just knew. He knew he was a different case: he had no idea why he danced, nor did he know what to do with it after high school. All he knew was that he liked it, and that was enough.

But he wasn’t too worried about it.

Because it wasn’t necessarily a _bad_ thing, mind you. There were lots of teenagers like him; lost and confused, and he _knew_ he was just really confused. Maybe even demotivated. And that’s where most kids take things wrong.

At sixteen, they didn’t have to have everything all figured out.

But just like his mother had said: _it’s going to be fine. You’re going to figure it out along the way._

 _Mothers know best_ , he remembered her reminding him with a poke on the nose and a motherly smile on her lips. Very rarely was the woman ever wrong, so you can’t fault him for being lax about the whole thing.

Kenma liked dancing as much as the next person, but he wouldn’t _die_ without it. People his age could be so over-dramatic, and it was usually those kinds of people who would usually point out things to him like ‘ _why would you spend all that time in the studio if you didn’t like doing it?_ ’ 

Scoffing to himself, Kenma thought, _can’t I just want to dance for no apparent reason?_ People did as they liked all the time, how was this any different?

But as much as he wanted for people to stop _caring_ and _bugging_ him about it, he really couldn’t do anything but bear with it.

And unfortunately, this was one of those moments. 

Well, at least he thought it was.

“Are you going, Ayumu?” Kenma caught a glimpse of the poster in the girl’s hand and immediately averted his eyes, frowning. That again?

“You mean to _that_? Of course I want to go!”

“Did your parents say yes then? Let’s go together!”

Kenma heard her sigh. “They haven’t. Not yet. But I want to go!” she whined, burying her head in her knees miserably.

Sympathetically, the girl next to her stroked her hair in comfort. “There, there… they’ll come around, I’m sure of it.”

“They better!” she pouted in response, snapping her head up to look at her friend. “All the greatest dancers of our generation are going! I want to see everyone!”

Groaning, Kenma tried to zone out, actively blocking his surroundings. It’s been literal _weeks_ and everyone in the studio hasn’t shut up about it. Everywhere he went, there was just someone talking about it. Couldn’t he catch a break?

“So, you’ve heard about it?” 

Kenma cocked his head in question and turned his attention to his co-captain, stretching his limbs out. “Heard what?”

Akaashi cocked a brow and answered knowingly, “The dance camp.” Kenma exasperatedly sighed in reply and Akaashi fixed him an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“Why are people making such a fuss over it?” It was just summer camp. It wasn’t such a big deal, right? 

At least, it wasn’t supposed to be.

Akaashi replied matter-of-factly, “Because it’s the summer camp for all aspiring dancers our age?”

“Isn’t that just an exaggeration?” It had to be. People around him acted like they couldn’t dance if they couldn’t go. Personally, Kenma would rather stay at home and spend his days in his room, catching up on all of the new games, and maybe a little dancing here and there, sure.

But, obviously he and Akaashi weren’t on the same page.

Shaking his head, the latter reached for his toes and laid his torso flat onto his stretched out legs and quipped, “You wouldn’t be saying that after seeing just how many people would actually kill for the opportunity to go.”

He maintained that position for a minute before sitting up again, and repeated the process. Kenma absentmindedly watched him and muttered, “Really.”

“Actually-” 

Before he could finish his sentence, Kenma cut him off immediately. “Uhhh, no.”

“What? I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“I can sense it in the tone of your voice, Akaashi.”

Akaashi blinked innocently. “Sense what?”

“Don’t act innocent.”

“I’m not,” Akaashi scoffed defensively. “I’m just… _passing information_ onto you.”

“Well, it’s unnecessary information.”

Sighing, Akaashi shrugged. “Okay, fine. But I’m just saying: we’ve been offered an opportunity to go.” 

Wait, what? An opportunity to go to one of the most sought-after dance camps in all of Japan?

“Us?” Kenma couldn’t help the incredulous tone. “To _that_ camp?”

“Yeah. Perks as captains.” Akaashi shrugged, then with a twinkling look in his eye, he asked, “Interested?”

“As if.”

Light conversation coming from the other side of the room enveloped the studio with only the rustling of clothes between them as Akaashi diligently went through his stretching warm-ups. Kenma’s thoughts strayed further and further away from him. 

Was it really that amazing, that summer camp? Even someone like Akaashi seemed to be interested… 

Maybe it wasn’t too bad?

“Are you still worried about the people?” Akaashi started nonchalantly. “Kozume, you know you’ll be fine. I’ll be there with you, you know.”

“That’s not what I’m worried-I’m not even _worried_!” he protested, the apples of his cheeks gradually getting redder.

Akaashi gave him a knowing look before nodding. “Hm, sure.”

“I’m really not.”

“And I said ‘sure’.”

Sighing, Kenma got up on his feet and stretched his arms before shaking them. He changed the subject. “What are we working on this time?”

Akaashi narrowed his eyes at him before following suit and taking off his hoodie, until he was left in his white loose crop top and sweatpants. Kenma did the opposite, wearing his flannel over his white shirt and gray joggers.

“If you don’t mind, we can work on yours for now,” Akaashi said. “I’m still figuring out the rest of this eight count. It’s not going smooth.”

“You don’t have to be so worried about it, you know. We can work it out,” Kenma said, checking his shoelaces. They’ve always worked on the choreography together, anyway, but even Kenma knew he wasn’t as invested in it as Akaashi was.

Akaashi gave him a wry smile. “I wouldn’t be a ‘choreographer’ otherwise.”

“I guess...” 

Kenma ignored the group of girls on the other side of the studio watching them, opting to connect his iPod on the speakers. He heard one of them whisper, “Aren’t those two Kozume Kenma and Akaashi Keiji? You know, the ones who brought our school to nationals?”

“Are you serious?”

“I’m so jealous… Akaashi-san looks so flexible!” one of the girls bemoaned. “I’d kill to have his flexibility. Our coach is a monster.”

“Wait ‘til you see Kozume-san!” the other gushed. “He isn’t called The Legend for nothing…”

“He’s _that_ Legend?”

Kenma scrolled through his playlist, pointedly ignoring the gaggle of girls, their eyes glued to looking in his direction as he searched for the song he wanted. Finding it, he tapped on his phone and a slow beat sounded throughout the studio, adlibs starting off the song.

He craned his neck back to look at Akaashi. “Ready?” 

Akaashi only answered with a thumbs-up as he stood in place, staring at him through the mirror. Kenma stood and inhaled with a single thought running through his head, _now let’s block out everything and focus on the music._

* * *

It was another day well-spent at school—well, as good as it was going to get for someone like Bokuto Koutarou.

With his earphones on, Bokuto jogged from his school to the dance studio. He could have taken the bus, but the jog was a good warm-up. Normally, his friend Kuroo would jog with him to the studio, but for some reason, the guy was nowhere to be found today. 

Bokuto looked for him _everywhere_ —in the library (Kuroo seemed to like hanging out there), the cafeteria (okay, he may have gotten a _little_ distracted talking to the auntie at the register who gave him a melon pan for being a good kid— _thanks auntie!_ ), the roof where they often hung out during breaks to dance, even the faculty room!—and he was nowhere.

He figured he’d just wait for Kuroo at the studio this time. _Forgive me, bro_ , he thought to himself sheepishly. _Eh, I’ll just make it up to him._

Now, if there was something about him that everyone knew, it was that Bokuto was a pretty excitable guy. He would be so excited about things that it could throw anyone off. He often came off as impatient, and _maybe_ he was... 

But this time, he had a pretty reasonable explanation for it. 

Grinning to himself, he hummed under his breath as he scrolled through his playlist and felt an arm slung around his shoulder.

He jerked in surprise and pulled an earbud out, eyes wide. “Kuroo, bro!”

Kuroo stood beside him, panting, “What the hell, dude? You left me!”

“I couldn’t find you anywhere! I even left you a text.”

The guy only rubbed his nape sheepishly. “My phone’s battery died. Sorry, I got caught up with the principal...” 

Bokuto pocketed his phone with a skeptical arc of a brow. “The principal? What did he want this time?”

Kuroo didn’t say anything, but from the looks of it, he was pretty bothered by whatever it was. That wasn’t a good sign. 

Bokuto frowned. “Seriously, what’s wrong, dude? Is it that bad? Are they threatening to cut the team off or something?”

“They might as well,” Kuroo grimaced. 

“What?”

“He just told me to leave the team to you and Iwa.” 

_What the hell?_

“What?” Bokuto scowled. “No way!”

Kuroo sighed. “Said something about not wanting to be liable for any injuries…”

“Geez,” Bokuto huffed. “They act like dancers don’t injure themselves every day! We compete. Plus, you're fine now, aren’t ya? You went to therapy for a year—the injury was like a year ago!”

Shaking his head, Kuroo replied with a coy smile, “Yeah, I guess.”

“You’re amazing, dude, really,” Bokuto replied earnestly, giving him a reassuring pat on the back. “Honestly, if I were you, I would have gone crazy, after going for a year of not dancing.”

“Why do I actually believe you?”

“I took the effort to be so nice to you…” Bokuto whined, and then sighed, grinning, “Besides that, this year is _our_ year! You’re still going, right? To camp?” He took Kuroo by the shoulders and shook him, tone desperate, “You have to, okay! The best of the best are going! The winners from nationals are going!”

“I don’t even know how you managed to get us invited this year.”

Bokuto scoffed. “Don’t sweat the details, dude! Just say you’re going! Come on, it’s going to be fun! We’ll meet new friends, or maybe…” he wriggled his eyebrows at him playfully, “a new lover boy?”

Kuroo laughed. “New _lover boy_? You say that as if I had one.”

“What? You don’t?” A cheeky grin made its way to his lips as he nudged Kuroo teasingly with his elbow. “Didn’t you use to have one..?” Kuroo shook his head.

“That was a long time ago, dude.” Besides, he was hardly a lover boy.

“So what? He might be there-”

Like there was any way Kuroo could refuse. When Bokuto set his mind on something, he would stop at nothing to get it, and this was no exception. Even though Kuroo was the very reason they had to throw in the towel at last year’s nationals… He could already hear the argument Bokuto would throw at him for thinking that way.

How much he sacrificed for the team… the time and effort he poured, spending the night in the studio, perfecting their choreography, polishing his craft… then, his injury. 

Sighing, Kuroo nodded with a grin. “Nevermind that. I’m going.”

“Yes!” Bokuto cheered before giving him a cheeky grin. “I knew I could count on you, dude!” 

Kuroo shook his head fondly. Besides, who knew what could happen if he left this guy alone all summer? He’d pull all kinds of trouble. Kuroo was getting a headache just thinking about it.

A mischievous look crossed Bokuto’s face. “Race you to the studio?”

Well, he wasn’t one to talk. It wasn’t like he was any better than his friend. Kuroo smirked. “You’re on!”

* * *

Normally, Iwaizumi Hajime was a patient person. He had to be, otherwise, he’d go crazy with frustration. Dealing with the crew was one thing, but looking after Kuroo and Bokuto was where it was really at.

They were a different case on their own.

“Of course, like a bunch of idiots, you had to race here?” Iwaizumi mused, a brow raised at their disheveled appearance. He turned to Kuroo with a scolding tone, “And you—you have to take care of yourself, okay? You’re barely recovered.” 

Kuroo winced before wiping a bead of sweat making its way down his cheek and exhaled, “Yeah, I’ll be careful next time… Sorry we’re late, Iwa.” 

Kuroo looked around the room. The rest of their team were on their break, checking their phones or busy hydrating themselves.

Bokuto bounced on the balls of his feet before throwing his bag to the side and fixing his cap. “Are you guys on a break?”

“Yeah.” Iwaizumi wiped his face with a towel. “We’re already way past what we learned yesterday.” 

Bokuto passed him and eagerly bounced off to the rest of their crew. “Hey, hey, hey! Guess what, huh? Guess what?” He threw some of the people high-fives and puffed out his chest, looking proud. _He did say something about a thing he was working on_ , Kuroo thought. He and Iwaizumi watched as Bokuto fluttered around like an overexcited child, arms wide open in the air.

“Are you serious? You can pull it off now? You? Bokuto?” 

Bokuto looked like he was about to dissolve into tears. “What? Why do you guys sound so in disbelief? Didn’t anyone believe in me? Not even a little?”

“Not really,” one chirped.

Another shrugged. “I honestly thought you were going to break your skull open trying to do it.”

Bokuto gasped. “What-? That’s so mean!” He proceeded to explain to them how he trained so hard for it and how he couldn’t wait to prove everyone wrong. “Just you wait! You’re going to be so amazed, your socks will get lost!” he huffed.

“That’s not how that saying goes, right?” One of them whispered hesitantly.

“Shh, don’t let him hear. Otherwise, this will never end.”

Kuroo stifled a chuckle. Bokuto didn’t exactly have a clean track record, so it was completely valid for the rest to doubt his words. 

Once, he hit his head trying to do a handstand—something he claimed he learned to do in a day, which was _stupid_ , now that he thought of it. He had to sit out on practices for two weeks, much to his annoyance and complete boredom.

Iwaizumi nudged his head in the direction of the mirrors. “Come on, I’ll have you two work during their break. I’ll make it fast so you guys can catch up with the rest. Pick it up quickly, okay?”

Kuroo nodded and Bokuto ran to the middle of the room, saluting. “Roger! Then I can show you guys my newly-mastered flip!”

The room erupted into horrified gasps and Kuroo immediately protested, pulling him back, “Bokuto- _no_!”

“Someone bring the mat! And the emergency kit!”

“Get ready to call an ambulance-”

“What the hell?” Bokuto gave them a sad pout, his eyes teary. “You really don’t trust in me!”

* * *

**Summer.**

Akaashi wasn’t one to arrive late and he wasn’t going to start now. Not on their first day of camp, at least.

Getting out of the car, he took his bags out of the vehicle and his mother craned her neck to look back at him and called out, “Keiji! Take care, okay?” 

Before slamming the door closed, he stuck his head in the door and answered with a smile, “Bye, mom. See you in a few weeks.” He waved as the car pulled up and drove off.

He turned back to look around him and was greeted with the sight of kids of all ages loitering around the area and they were, like him, lugging around their luggage with them as Latin dance music blasted from the speakers nearby. He spied a group of guys already having fun, dancing without a care in the world. 

Standing there in the middle of nature, Akaashi took the time to absorb his surroundings with limbs akimbo, inhaling deeply before exhaling. The scenery was a good change of pace. He couldn’t believe he’d be spending five weeks dancing in such a serene place like this.

“ _Ami!_ ” Before he could get barreled into, he dragged his stuff away as a girl came running in his general direction, jumping into another girl’s arms squealing in excitement. “Oh my god, we’re here!”

“This place looks so great! Have you seen the others?”

He smiled and thought to himself, _I_ _wonder where’s Kozume?_

Checking his phone, he saw no text notifications from Kenma yet. _Still not here, huh?_ It must’ve meant he hadn’t arrived yet. Knowing Kenma, he must have spent the night playing his video games. He could already see the blonde scowling, looking at his pile of unfinished video games. Akaashi stifled a laugh to himself at the thought. 

He still didn’t know why they couldn’t have just shared a ride to camp and gone together. Shrugging, he muttered, “I should probably look for our room…”

He took out the envelope delivered to him prior to the camp opening and peered at the letter. All he knew was he and Kenma were in the same room with four other people, something that Akaashi knew Kenma worried about, given his introverted nature. 

Now, for where this room was… Well, he wasn’t so sure where it was. Akaashi spotted a woman greeting a group of kids with a smile. _She must be a camp manager._

Approaching her, Akaashi asked, “Hello, uh, do you know where the rooms are, miss?” 

The camp manager beamed welcomingly and pointed to the left. “Just head over there and take a right at the intersection, you’ll see the inn! Have fun at camp!”

Akaashi thanked her, pulling his luggage with him and made for the direction she pointed him to. After a few minutes of trekking through the camp, he was met with the sight of a towering western inn, its facade looking worn, but otherwise homey. Akaashi walked in and a woman met him in the entrance with a smile. 

“Welcome! What room are you in, dear?”

She led him to the desk of the lobby where Akaashi gave her his room number, and the lady called for a staff member to lead the way, telling him all about the amenities of the inn. She mentioned an area for playing table tennis, as well as an _onsen_ and immediately, Akaashi’s body reacted to the thought of a warm soak at night. 

He smiled. “Thank you. I’ll definitely try it out later…”

The lady waved him off with a smile. Akaashi looked around in wonder. He knew this summer camp was good, but wasn’t this place just straight up luxurious? The staff member opened the door and let him inside the room. He set Akaashi’s stuff down at the corner of the room before bowing out and telling him to enjoy his stay.

Looking around the huge, vacant room, he realized he was the first to arrive. 

“I should look around camp while waiting for Kozume,” he hummed. So with that, he changed into his training clothes and took the room key. If this was dance camp, there should be a studio somewhere.

_Let’s do something we came here to do._

* * *

It didn’t take Akaashi long to find where the studio was. Under five minutes, he stood in front of a huge door, a sign hanging above it that said “Dance Studio 3”.

He poked his head inside the door. Like the rest of the camp, the studio looked neat and well taken care of, its floors and mirrors looking newly clean. The ventilation was good as well—it was neither hot nor cold inside. Perfect.

He stood in front of the mirrors and stared at himself before sighing. _No one’s around, right?_ He glanced around him at the quiet studio. There weren’t a lot of people at camp yet—who knew when he’d have the studio to himself like this? _I’m sure the camp managers won’t mind if I borrow the speakers too… I mean, this is dance camp, it’s not like I’m committing a crime._

Akaashi took off his hoodie before folding it up properly. Left in his loose white shirt, he scrolled down his playlist and pulled up his song of choice, plugging it onto the room’s speakers. A shrill voice boomed through the speakers—the singer sang, her airy voice surrounding the room.

Akaashi went through the motions of his carefully choreographed routine, wincing every time he got the timing wrong. He clucked his tongue and placed a hand on his hip as he tapped his feet to the beat of the song playing in the background, thinking of a way to make the groove smoother. Just what was wrong?

“Maybe if I change this half count altogether..?” he muttered under his breath, before shaking his head. “No. Then, it wouldn’t flow as easily before the next eight count.” Maybe the kick delayed the count a beat more than it should? 

“I think you should just make it an adlib going into the next count.”

An adlib? Akaashi blinked. “Right…! Why didn’t I think of that?”

He heard a laugh from behind him. “Glad I could help.”

As if realizing a second too late that he was _supposed to be_ alone, Akaashi turned around in surprise and he was met with a pair of striking golden eyes. The guy stood in the door frame with a boyish grin, stance nonchalant and relaxed. Akaashi gave him a hesitant stare and nodded. “Thank you…” _What’s a guy like him doing here, talking to me? Me?_ Akaashi thought to himself almost deliriously.

The stranger entered the room and stood to the side, arms over his chest. “You should try it again and see if it goes smoother.”

His words hung in the air between them, but Akaashi found himself following his advice despite his earlier reluctance (and inner gay panic) and repeated the same motions with a slight revision. Unlike earlier, the flow was better. Maybe he just got too into his head? 

Satisfied with the result, Akaashi nodded and thanked him again. “Thank you. It feels better now.”

He grinned in reply. “Sure! No problem!”

Awkwardly, Akaashi inched closer to the speakers and unplugged his iPod, taking his hoodie with him. Before he could get out of the door, he heard the guy call out to him, tone confused, “You’re leaving already?”

Akaashi craned his neck back to look at him in equal confusion. “I can’t..?” From what he could remember, there wasn’t anything planned for today. Not in the studio, at least. Or maybe the stranger knew something he didn’t? Did he somehow miss something in the letter?

“You can’t!” The stranger pouted. “Not yet, at least! Let’s dance together, yeah? It’ll be fun!” 

Akaashi stared at him unblinkingly. He wasn’t really against it, but Kenma could get here anytime soon, and he told him he would go and fetch him. Kenma was already uncomfortable with everything in the first place; it wouldn’t be good for him to be late.

“Sorry, I’m waiting for my friend.” 

As if planned, his phone rang with a text notification: it seemed that Kenma just arrived, and was waiting for him by the camp entrance. He tugged his hoodie on and waved hurriedly, “I’m so sorry, I really have to go! Let’s talk again soon!”

Just like that, Akaashi left Bokuto Koutarou staring after him in confusion. “Bye..?”

Sighing with a pout, Bokuto whined to himself under his breath, “Aw… I thought that was going to be my first new friend.”

* * *

Akaashi was nowhere to be found. Glancing down at his phone screen, Kenma sighed. Why didn’t he just come with Akaashi like he had suggested? 

He looked around him warily, keeping an eye out for the familiar mop of messy dark curls his friend and co-captain had.

There were too many people to see, and Kenma wasn’t the tallest out of the bunch, which made it all the more harder to see. He took out the camp’s invitation letter sent to him a week before and checked his room information. He was just glad he was staying with Akaashi. It made things a lot easier for him.

Now, for where this friend of his was, he had no clue. Akaashi left him on read and it’d been about two minutes. He said he was hanging out at the dance studio, so maybe Kenma should check there first?

Before he could try and look for the studio, he felt someone crash into him from the left, and everything around him moved in slow motion. The impact made Kenma lose his footing and he ultimately tripped over his luggage and fell to the ground with a resounding thud. 

Kenma grunted in pain, his leg throbbing a bit. The guy who collided with him groaned, sitting on the ground just a few ways away from him. 

“I’m sorry…” Kenma muttered. 

“No! I’m sorry! Are you okay?” The guy hurriedly stood on his feet, offering him a hand. Kenma nodded reluctantly and stared at his proffered hand hesitantly before taking it, letting himself get pulled back onto his own two feet.

He helped Kenma straighten up his luggage and apologized again, “I wasn’t really looking where I was going. Sorry. Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need me to bring you to the infirmary?” A spark of electricity shot up from the tip of his finger to his arm and he recoiled in shock. The teen opposite him did the same, blinking.

Ignoring the weird, sharp sensation, Kenma focused on his question. The pain he felt really wasn’t too serious, seeing as it was slowly ebbing away as the moments passed, so Kenma shook his head in reply and kept his head down. “No. I’m fine, thanks.”

Kenma peered at him from under his veil of hair. The dark, spiky-haired boy looked at his luggage and sheepishly rubbed his nape. “You, uh, need help with your stuff?” he offered. “I can help you if you want..?”

_Why did he feel so familiar..?_

Kenma figured it was only a matter of time before Akaashi got here, so he decided to refuse. “No thanks. Thanks for the offer, though,” Kenma muttered under his breath and picked up his luggage, walking off as fast as he could. 

This was starting off as a weird day.

Kuroo Tetsurou watched him walk away, a flash of nostalgia flooding his thoughts. There was something about the way he stood, his head bowed like that… something distinctively _familiar._ He couldn’t seem to put his finger on it.

And Kuroo couldn’t help but think: _did he feel like this too?_

But was this really the time to think of this? With a shrug, Kuroo dismissed his thoughts. _What a weird guy._

His phone rang with a notification. It was a message from Bokuto. 

_Dude, there’s a vacant studio here! Let’s go! This place is so cool. :D_

Grinning at the goofy picture Bokuto sent along with the message, he made way for the studio.

* * *

In his hurry, Kenma bumped into another person and thankfully, this time was better and safer. His head lightly hit the person’s chest, and he heard a familiar voice speak in surprise, “Kozume? Why are you in a hurry?”

Kenma snapped his head up to look at him. “Akaashi.”

The latter gave him a weird look. “You look shaken. What happened?” Kenma waved his concerns off, blaming it on the rather long ride he had to endure to get here. Akaashi gave him a knowing look before asking, “Are you sure?”

Kenma wasn’t the type to hide his displeasure, but it would be better to make sure anyway. “I’m fine,” Kenma reassured him and yawned, “I just want to sleep for a bit.”

“You didn’t sleep on the ride?”

“It’s hard to sleep in the car when it’s my mom driving.”

Smiling wryly, Akaashi laughed. “You’d think after all the years she’s driven you, she would learn how to drive properly.”

“I actually asked her to play Mario Kart with me once.”

“How was that?”

Blanching, Kenma didn’t reply. He didn’t have to. Just from the look on his face, Akaashi knew his mother was unexpectedly good at the video game. “She was crazy.” The only thing missing this time was the banana peels.

Akaashi helped him with his things and led the way to their room, where four out of six beds were now occupied. They were met with loud choruses of greetings. Their roommates were all boys their age, so that seemed to relieve Kenma in some way.

“Hi!” a boy with vibrant orange locks beamed. “I’m Hinata Shouyou! Nice to meet you!” 

The lanky, white-haired boy beside him butted in with a greeting of his own and a wide grin on his face. “I’m Haiba Lev!”

Akaashi nodded with a smile. “Hello, Hinata-san, Haiba-san. I’m Akaashi Keiji and this is…”

“Kozume Kenma,” Kenma muttered. He threw his bag at the foot of his bed and dug in his hoodie’s pockets for his PSP. Without a word, he fell onto the bed, eyes glued on the screen of his portable gaming console.

Akaashi sighed. “What he said. Sorry, he doesn’t do well with new people.”

“It’s okay,” Hinata reassured, before quietly approaching Kenma from behind. “Whoa! What’s that game?”

Kenma spared him a glance before replying, “...Dragon Quest.”

Akaashi watched as the boy engaged Kenma in a lighthearted conversation about the game, glad that Kenma seemed to be comfortable enough with him. Lev ran up to the two and joined in on the conversation with his own anecdotes on video games. 

From where he stood, he could see the annoyance flickering on Kenma’s face. Amused, Akaashi opted to do nothing but watch him. Besides, Kenma was the type to get annoyed at anything loud, so he was sure it wasn’t anything too bad.

If it was, Kenma would have already bolted out of the room.

Akaashi turned to the last person he hadn’t met in the room, addressing him with a polite smile. “Hi. My name is Akaashi Keiji. It’s nice to meet you.”

The blonde boy nodded in reply, adjusting his glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. “Tsukishima Kei. Likewise.” Then, as if changing masks, he scowled, his earlier blasé attitude nowhere to be seen and called out, “Oi, you idiot! Get your stuff fixed!”

Lev and Hinata turned to him with a frown and in chorus, protested, “Who, me?!”

Tsukishima smirked. “Aware you’re a bunch of idiots, huh?”

Growling, Hinata narrowed his eyes at him. “Tsukishima…” He tried to look intimidating, but it only served to make him look even more endearing—like a petulant child.

Akaashi watched as the smaller boy marched up to the tall blonde, challenging him to a brawl. Tsukishima only replied with a snigger, commenting on his height. Akaashi didn’t think that was the right course of action, and yet, the blonde seemed to be enjoying himself, riling up the other boy. Lev went back to watching Kenma play over his shoulder, talking his ear off.

Just when things started to settle in the room, with the argument between Hinata and Tsukishima reaching a stalemate, their door opened with a loud slam and a cheery voice yelled, “Hello everyone!”

Tsukishima looked displeased and groaned, “You?”

“Oh? Glasses-kun is my roommate?” He walked in coolly with a smirk. “Treat me well this year!”

“Wha- _Oikawa-san!_ ” Hinata yelled, grinning. “Hello!”

“Shoyou!” The guy, Oikawa, as he was called, gave Hinata a grin and a high-five. “Isn’t this an interesting mix?”

“I’m here too,” Lev whined. 

Oikawa slung an arm around his shoulders and laughed, “I see you!”

“Did Iwaizumi-san come along this year?”

“He did!” Oikawa nudged his head to the door. “He’s actually just a few doors down.”

Lev perked up. “I should go and see him!” He wiggled out of Oikawa’s hold and ran out the door, leaving them standing in silence. 

“Is that really going to be okay..?” Akaashi started hesitantly. From what he observed in just a few minutes, Lev could be a handful. No, he was _more_ than a handful. 

Oikawa waved him off. “Iwa-chan’s going to be pissed, but I’m sure it will be okay,” he ended with a grin.

“Huh…”

Oikawa turned to Akaashi and Kenma, the latter still busy playing on his PSP, and remarked, “I don’t think we’ve met yet, right?”

Akaashi nodded with a smile, offering a bow, “Nice to meet you. I’m Akaashi Keiji and this is Kozume Kenma.” 

Oikawa glanced curiously at Kenma before giving Akaashi a bow in return. “Nice to meet you, Aka-chan!”

 _Aka-chan?_ Akaashi chose not to say anything about it and instead continued to put his stuff away as Oikawa plopped back onto his bed with a heavy sigh. “Ah, it’s nice to be back this year. You guys are new here, right?” Oikawa grinned. “You’re going to go to Opening Night?”

Nodding, Akaashi dropped onto his own bed and replied, “I heard it was just a party?”

“It’s not just a party, it’s _the_ party!” he gushed before continuing, “Everyone knows that you shouldn’t miss Opening Night. Everyone at camp is going to be there.” Kenma was definitely not going. Akaashi glanced at him from the corner of his eye, and he wrinkled his nose at the mention of ‘everyone’.

Oikawa winked at him. “Maybe you’ll even get to meet someone interesting for yourself, hm?”

Akaashi blinked as an image of the stranger at the studio earlier flashed through his mind, his boyish grin paired with the kind gaze of his striking golden eyes that he sported making Akaashi flush red at the simple thought of it. He cleared his throat before Oikawa could catch on, but it was too late. Oikawa may have not noticed anything different, but Kenma did. 

Kenma gave him a knowing look and Akaashi made sure to ignore him, opting to reply, “Isn’t this dance camp?”

“It’s also summer, you know,” Oikawa replied, laying back on his bed before wriggling to his side, propping his head atop his arm. “The time for romance, fun… it’s something that only comes once in your life!”

“More like every single year,” Kenma breathed under his breath.

Oikawa craned his neck to look at Kenma thoughtfully before stating, “You. You’re interesting.”

“Right?” Hinata butted in with a wide grin.

Kenma, flustered, hid his face under his hair and kept his gaze trained back on his game. Akaashi sighed as Oikawa turned back to him. “He’s really not the type to like summer, huh?”

“He spends it differently,” Akaashi agreed.

“Really?” Hinata asked, blinking and Oikawa turned in his bed to look in Kenma’s direction. “You’re attractive, though! I bet you’d have a lot of attention at the party tonight!”

 _Attention._ Kenma definitely didn’t like the sound of that. 

Akaashi winced as Kenma announced, “I’m not going.” He then proceeded to bury himself under his sheets, hiding himself from the rest of the world.

“What?” Hinata gasped disappointedly, clutching onto his blanket. “Why not, Kenma? Let’s go together!” 

Oikawa didn’t look fazed, jumping to his feet and bounced onto Kenma’s bed, leaning into him. “It’s going to be fun! Come on, I’ll even make you extra pretty! Not to brag,” he added with a proud smile, “But I’m usually in charge with costumes and make-up for my crew.”

“No thanks,” Kenma replied immediately and blanched. 

Hinata leaned into him on the bed, whining, “Aw, but Kenma-” Akaashi sighed as Tsukishima plugged his earphones in and looked out the room window. 

There went his plans for a good nap.

* * *

When they said that the party was going to be attended by everyone in camp, they really weren’t lying. Despite his earlier reluctance, Kenma found himself squished between Akaashi and Hinata, his PSP tucked in his jacket for protection. Loud music thumped from the speakers surrounding the wide expanse of the stage area as huge crowds closed around on them, either dancing to the music or shouting over it to try and talk to their friends. 

Lev announced his amazement with a yell, “There’s so many people!”

Why did he even let them coax him into coming to this thing? He could be on his bed in their room right now, enjoying the peace and quiet—something that Kenma deduced would be hard to come by, considering his roommates and their antics.

“Wait, where’s Tsukki?” Lev blinked, realizing the boy to his left was nowhere to be found. 

Hinata shrugged. “He slipped out to see Yamaguchi, maybe.”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

“I’ll bring you guys closer to the stage so you can see better,” Oikawa yelled through the music and Hinata jumped in excitement. He led them closer to the stage and a girl came rushing towards him, looking relieved. 

“Oikawa-san, you’re finally here!” 

He grinned, “Sorry, sorry! It was hard to get here. There are more people this year, huh?” That was the biggest understatement of the century. This was nowhere near his expectations. He knew it was going to be crowded, but not _this_ crowded.

“I know,” she sighed. “It’s like a battlefield out there… everywhere I went, it was packed. Anyway, here’s the script.” 

He scanned through the cue cards fast before turning back to them and hurriedly waved. “You guys stay there and enjoy the show! I’ll be right back, okay!” 

Kenma and the rest watched him go, until Hinata started looking around the crowd, desperately trying to find something. Akaashi followed his gaze and asked, “What’s wrong, Hinata-san?”

“Oh,” Hinata turned to Akaashi with a grin, “I’m looking for my younger sister, Akaashi-san!”

“Younger sister?”

“Natsu came this year?” Lev mused. 

Nodding, Hinata continued to look around. “Yeah. She was really excited about it. She’s been wanting to come since last year…”

“That’s nice.”

Their conversation was cut short by the lights on stage flashing on, and the roaring voices of the crowd. Kenma winced and shrunk in on himself as Oikawa ran on stage with a wide beam on his lips. “Good evening everyone and welcome to Camp URBN’s Opening Night!”

The crowd cheered loudly—the sound was _deafening_ and if it weren’t for the amount of people in his way, Kenma would have already slipped out and slunk back into their room for the night. Akaashi nudged him before whisper-yelling, “Try to enjoy it, Kenma!” 

Kenma fixed him with a look saying: _It’s easier said than done, okay?_

The song playing faded off into the background as Oikawa launched into a little adlib, grinning, “Whoa, whoa! What a huge crowd we have tonight! Are you ready to party tonight?” 

The crowd roared in agreement as Akaashi gave Kenma a pat on the shoulder and directed his gaze back to the stage where Oikawa stood, a smile laced with annoyance. Raising a brow, Kenma watched him announce the opening performance of the night. 

“But before we get to our long-awaited dance party—give it up, for last year’s winner, _Shiratorizawa_ dance crew!”

The crowd went crazier as the stage lights went out and the music steadily built up, the vibration thrumming through their bodies. At the starting beats of the song, a single spotlight opened on stage, highlighting a lone dancer in the middle. Kenma watched in rapt attention as the dancer warmed up to the Latin-influenced beat.

She pumped her torso once, before leaning her back into an arch, rolling her body before straightening up and sticking a leg up to reach her shoulders. The rest of the crew danced in from the back, weaving one segment into another, getting to their positions on stage and perfectly flowed into the routine. She let her foot down and blew the audience a kiss, jumping and hitting the floor with a death drop.

The mix transitioned into another song, one with a distinct electronic synth, the pace gradually getting faster.

Hinata jumped around beside him, getting hyped. “Yeah, let’s go!” 

Loud whistling came from behind them as one of the dancers slid to a split without batting an eye. Kenma snorted. “You could do better than that,” and gave Akaashi a smirk.

Akaashi rolled his eyes wryly. “What about _you_ try for once?”

“Do you want me to break my ankles in the process?”

* * *

Bokuto cheered on Ushijima as he and his crew took the stage. Kuroo whistled low, “Dude’s got some serious moves.” The crowd obviously thought so as well, seeing as their cheers only grew louder and louder as the seconds passed by.

“Well, they did win last year’s competition,” Iwaizumi mused, and added for good measure, “Oh yeah, this is your first time coming to camp, huh?” Kuroo turned back to look at the stage with a newfound trace of interest in his eye. “Ushijima’s actually been dancing for a long time now. That’s his school team. They’re a national favorite, so the whole team has always been invited to this camp every summer.”

Kuroo could see that. Just the way the guy moved and commanded everyone’s attention was enough to clue him in on that fact. His crew didn’t lose out to him either. They all looked picture perfect together.

“That’s so cool,” Bokuto breathed as one of the dancers executed a perfect back flip and he yelled, whining, “I want to do that too!”

“No,” Both Iwaizumi and Kuroo deadpanned at him. 

Kuroo sighed heavily. “Seriously, dude. We don’t need someone getting run to the hospital.”

“You guys! I really can do it!”

Kuroo started, “I highly doubt that. Plus, we’re in the _literal_ mountains. It would be hard to get an ambulance here.”

“Oh, there’s a hospital thirty minutes from here,” Iwaizumi interjected. “We’ve had to deal with a lot of injuries here. You know, dancers and all.”

Kuroo scoffed, “So you’re saying if ever this dumb guy attempted it, he can survive? Don’t give him any more ideas.”

Bokuto sniffed. “That’s so mean.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Oikawa stood along with Kenma’s group, seemingly seething in annoyance, “I don’t want to see this.” 

Well, someone was obviously not enjoying the festivities.

Hinata blinked. “Oikawa-san, are you still bitter..?” _Definitely some history then_ , Kenma mused.

“Shoyou!” Oikawa gasped, as if offended, “I am not bitter!”

“You sure are acting like it though,” Lev interjected as-a-matter-of-factly, shrugging. “I mean, it was a close battle last summer. If only you guys did more-”

Seeing the absolute fury in Oikawa’s eyes, Lev opted to bite his lips shut. It definitely wasn’t worth the pain. Kenma raised a brow, “What, you lost to them?”

Oikawa smiled at him politely. “Pudding-chan, I really don’t appreciate you rubbing salt in my wounds.” Kenma bit back a retort and ignored the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Pudding-chan?” Kenma muttered under his breath, frowning. Oikawa just stuck a tongue out at him playfully before making his way back to the stage area.

The music faded as the crew onstage vacated their spot. Oikawa took that as his cue to go back onstage, plastering a smile on his face. “Well, wasn’t that a great start to an awesome Opening Night, dancers?” Oikawa tried his hardest to disguise his disdain, and Kenma could hear someone a few feet away from them stifle a laugh.

“But, certainly this night wouldn’t be complete without meeting the person who made it all possible, eh?” Oikawa grinned and pointed to the side of the stage where a woman walked out, her long white locks flowing down to her shoulders, a wide smile on her face, “Let’s all please welcome to the Camp URBN stage: the superstar herself, Kira!”

 _Kira?_ Kenma turned to Akaashi with a confused look on his face, “Hey, Akaashi? Who’s this Kira person?”

“You don’t know who she is?” Hinata gasped, “Kenma! She’s literally super famous!”

“Am I obligated to know every famous person out there?” he replied dryly.

Akaashi shook his head. “I kinda figured you wouldn’t know who she is. Kira’s the person responsible for the creation of this camp. She’s the owner, as well as Japan’s top idol.”

A white-haired, svelte woman took the mic and stood in front of the frenzied crowd. With a smile, she cocked a hip, and held her puff-sleeve covered arm up, waving enthusiastically, “Good evening everyone! I’m Kira, it’s all so nice to meet you!”

As if the crowd couldn’t get even louder. Kenma cringed at the ear-shattering cheers and shrunk even more than he already was. 

Oikawa spoke into the microphone, “We’re all so thrilled to see you personally this year!” 

Kira laughed, “I’m glad I can be here this year as well. I made sure I would be here! I’m so happy to see everyone is as excited as I am for this summer!” Winking, she added, “I can’t wait to see everyone at this year’s competition! Let’s all have fun, okay?”

She pointed to the left before speaking again, “Your instructors are all here! You’ll all have a chance to meet and learn from them starting tomorrow, but for now,” she announced cheerily, “let’s party!”

* * *

The strobe lights engulfed the empty stage before the music’s volume picked up and a pop song thrummed loudly throughout the area. Kenma warily eyed the crowd as many started moving along to the beat. 

Akaashi nudged a standing still Kenma. “Not going to dance?” 

He only shook his head. How could he even move? With all these people, he would get trampled on if he weren't careful.

Plus, was he really ready to dance in front of all these people? 

Akaashi smiled wryly, seeing the uncertainty flash on his features. “Come on. It’s okay. No one here cares. They’re all busy dancing.”

“It’s a party,” Hinata added, grinning, “you’re supposed to dance. Come on, Kenma!”

Kenma sighed. He had to give in, huh? He pulled his hoodie on, veiling his face from the rest of the world and zoned in on the music. If it was like this, he could do it. Just keep his face hidden away from the crowd. He broke out into dance, not minding his surroundings, and soon enough, he wasn’t even thinking of the crowd anymore. 

It was just him and the music.

* * *

Iwaizumi disappeared halfway into Ushijima’s performance. Kuroo figured he had gone to the toilet or something, but apparently, he was the DJ tonight. He watched as their friend stood in front of the booth and donned on a pair of black headphones.

“Iwa’s DJ-ing?” Bokuto whooped. “Play some sick beats, dude!”

Kuroo shook his head. “They can’t hear the music over your loud voice, Bo.”

“Man, rude much?”

Kuroo laughed and replied, tone laidback, “It was a joke, bro. You know I…” his words trailed off as his eyes caught something. From afar, Kuroo spied a boy, not much younger than him. He stared in amazement as he watched the boy lose himself in the music. For some reason, he couldn’t avert his eyes—he couldn’t look away. 

His breath caught in his throat.

It was _intriguing_ , the way he could move like that. For someone with a small stature, he sure packed power in his moves like it was nothing. 

Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia hit him, and Kuroo’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _Something_ was definitely familiar about him. The way he held himself and the way he moved... 

He let out a hum under his breath and muttered to himself, “Who is that?” 

Bokuto didn’t seem to notice or hear him, though. The white-haired dancer seemed to be occupied with something else, with his eyes roaming around himself then he gasped, “Ah! It’s him!”

Snapping out of his reverie, Kuroo turned to him inquiringly. “What’s up?”

Bokuto’s grin grew wider on his lips, and he jumped in excitement. “That’s the dancer I saw earlier today!” he exclaimed. “He was so good!”

“Oh, the one in the studio early?”

“Yeah!” Bokuto peered at the crowd and searched for a way to get to him. Unfortunately, everywhere he looked, it was jam-packed with people. Personally, he thought he was fairly tall but this amount of people was just too much!

Feeling miffed but nonetheless challenged, he nudged Kuroo and said, “Hey, I’ll be right back.”

“ _Oya?_ ” It was Kuroo’s turn to tease. “What’s this? Are you interested in him already? That’s fast, Bo, even for you.”

Bokuto laughed. “That’s not it! I want to be friends with him, that’s all!” 

Was it so weird to try and make friends? They were going to have to get along anyway. The more friends, the merrier! And he mentioned as such to his friend who only shrugged.

“Well, that’s unfortunate, but I guess it’s okay if you don’t see him tonight, huh?” Kuroo sounded amused and a little sympathetic. “I mean, you can see him tomorrow, I guess?”

He blinked. “Wait, what?”

Kuroo nudged him in the direction of his target and Bokuto’s heart fell. 

He wasn’t there anymore. It was barely five seconds! Where could he have gone so fast? 

His friend squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. “Like I said, you’ll see him tomorrow, yeah?”

Bokuto pouted. “Better luck next time, I guess.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the update came in late because uni is currently laughing at my misery...
> 
> This chapter contains art made by [Faye](https://twitter.com/morichrome)! Thank you so much T_T and as always, Spotify playlist has been updated: [groove your way (into my heart) playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51JubpHA22EyrNWAgDteD6?si=pejdEjF5SCKFlCGHAPSKew&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1). Feel free to check it out and jam to it while reading, lmao.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

****

**Chapter 2.**

Kenma was—by no means—a morning person, so when a camp announcement blared at _six_ in the morning, it took everything in him to roll off his bed. The boy sat on the floor and stared blankly at the wall as he wrestled with his sleepiness, and Akaashi had stifled a yawn before helping him up from where he sat at the foot of his bed. “Ooo-kay, up you go.” 

Kenma grumbled all the way to his luggage, feeling reluctant about changing before breakfast. Who cares about breakfast? Couldn’t he just sleep in instead?

Their door opened and a head popped in. “Finally, you guys are awake!” Oikawa tutted from the door frame. “I was starting to wonder when everyone would get up.”

They weren’t surprised to see Oikawa and Tsukishima already up and ready. The former was just obsessed with his looks, really. It was only six A.M., and yet his hair was already perfectly styled and coiffed. 

Oikawa flipped his hair and grinned, “Unlike you people, I look perfect and ready to go!”

Kenma blanched. Don’t even get him started on Oikawa’s outfit. He’s had enough trying to make sense of how he _plans to dance_ , much less _move_ in it. Tsukishima strode into the room nonchalantly and grabbed his phone on his bedside table, pocketing it with a sigh.

“I can’t be bothered to try and wake the shrimp up, so I’m going,” Tsukishima blankly stated. Kenma figured as much. He watched the boy open the door and shut it with not so much as a glance back.

Tsukishima, on the other hand, would rather die than let his roommates see him so disheveled in the morning, so he made it his personal mission to be up and ready by five, Kenma guessed. He remembered the rustle of sheets and the light pattering of feet just a few minutes before he was _oh, so rudely_ woken up.

The last two of their group, Lev and Hinata, were still soundly asleep in their own beds, dead to the world. Truthfully speaking, he was envious of their ability to sleep through all the ruckus.

After getting ready himself, Akaashi pulled Hinata and Lev’s sheets off and started waking them up. Hinata was easier to wake up, but _Lev_. Lev was frustratingly harder to rouse. You could say Lev was as much of a handful asleep as when he was conscious and awake. 

It took all of Oikawa, Hinata and Akaashi to wake him up.

And it took them an hour to get ready, leaving them with only an hour to eat breakfast. Tsukishima— _bless his soul_ , Kenma thought sarcastically—had really gone ahead just like he said (he didn’t know why a part of him hoped he was _at least_ waiting outside their door for them to get ready), and the group of boys walked to the dining area sluggishly. Kenma and Akaashi did, at least. 

Kenma walked in between two bundles of energies. Even though these two weren’t morning people like him, Lev and Hinata were strangely enthusiastic in the mornings and it was disconcerting more than anything. The two dragged him off with them, still woozy with sleep.

* * *

Breakfast came and went. Akaashi forced him to eat a whole portion of rice because ‘half a bowl of rice was not enough to last him until lunch’, apparently. Meanwhile, Hinata and Lev made it a point to stuff their mouths silly with everything they could get their hands on. He could just imagine the stomachache they would inevitably have to deal with later on.

Oikawa was nowhere to be found. “He probably saw a friend and decided to have breakfast with them instead,” Akaashi shrugged and took a sip of his orange juice. Kenma wouldn’t put that past him, honestly. Oikawa was his own brand of ‘social butterfly’.

They got to their first workshop of the summer five minutes early. Hinata and Lev had run off, enthusiastic at a whole day of dancing. Kenma wished he was as excited as they were so early in the morning. He watched as Hinata jumped a kid on the back with roaring laughter and a loud greeting. The taller kid growled and threw Hinata off his back. Kenma cringed. That had to hurt.

“Kageyama-kun! That hurt!”

“Shut up, dumbass!”

Kenma shook his head. It was his first time seeing a dance studio this crammed with people. Sure, he and Akaashi went to a few classes here and there, and training with the team was anything but an affair on its own, but the scale of this camp was bigger than he had initially thought. 

He may have underestimated it.

(A little too late for that too, seeing as he had gone to Opening Night and lived to tell the tale.)

As soon as they stepped foot inside, they spotted Oikawa swarmed with people. _So he was here already._ Lev dragged Hinata back along with him. “Man, there sure are a lot of people this year!”

Hinata blinked. “Isn’t it because of that big dance competition last month?”

A bunch of kids just came in and fought their way to get to a spot near the front, and it just made for an unwanted image in Kenma’s head. Akaashi grimaced, “There’s too many people up front. Let’s stay here?” Despite the pouts Hinata and Lev were sporting, they had no choice but to settle for a spot at the back. 

Not like Kenma was complaining—he would much rather prefer a spot where he was certain no one would be looking at him. It was better off that way. Akaashi sat cross-legged next to him on the floor as the studio filled with murmurings. “Excited?” 

Kenma shrugged, “I guess. What was this class again?”

“Not really sure. I forgot to check the brochure,” Akaashi said mildly.

“This is the Master Class,” Oikawa butted in. “Our instructor’s almost here. I just saw him on the way.”

“Master Class?”

True enough, a man wearing a headband pushing back his bleached blonde hair came sauntering into the studio in leisurewear, his shoes making a small squeaking noise on the hardwood flooring of the studio.

He stood in front of everyone with a blank look on his face before clapping his hands twice and announcing to the room, “Alright, good morning, everyone! I’m your instructor for this morning, Ukai Keishin!”

“ _That_ Ukai Keishin?” A girl in front of them whispered in disbelief. “That world-class choreographer for the stars?”

“I didn’t know he was coming here,” the boy next to her excitedly replied. “I’m so glad I came this summer!” World-class choreographer? Now _that_ piqued Kenma’s interest. Looking over at Akaashi, Kenma knew he wasn’t the only one. Akaashi visibly straightened up and listened attentively.

Oikawa hummed. “Didn’t know he was coming back this summer.”

“He wasn’t here last summer?” The other boy shook his head before explaining, “He was out of the country. You know that team who won this year’s World of Dance? He choreographed their routine.”

Kenma only let out a hum. He was pretty impressive then.

Ukai cleared his throat. “I’m sure we’re all excited to learn today but I want to start our session off with a paired activity,” he announced. “Pair up, everyone!”

Kenma blinked. What, an activity? Right off the bat?

Hinata turned to Lev, “Who’re you partnering with?” 

Lev shrugged. “I think I saw Yaku-san just a few rows in front of us.”

Kenma watched Hinata scratch his head. “Huh. Maybe Kageyama’s still free.” Then, he turned to Kenma. “What about you, Kenma?” He shrugged. Not like it’s such a big deal when he has Akaashi to pair up with, just like usual.

Just as Kenma was about to ask Akaashi himself, he was taken aback to see him engaged in conversation with a stranger. Who was this guy? Kenma blanched at his distinctive white-gray hair tinted with black streaks. Just who would willingly keep their hair like that? It was literally asking for attention.

“So, Akaashi! Want to be partners?” the stranger asked enthusiastically, and Kenma just knew Akaashi didn’t have it in him to refuse his request. Did they even know each other? 

Akaashi turned to give him a hesitant look, “Um…”

Kenma sighed and waved him off, “I’ll be fine.”

“You sure, Kenma?” He just fixed him a pointed look and shooed him away, “I’ll just look for someone else. Maybe Shoyou’s not paired up yet...” He trailed off, eyes already darting around the room in search for the orange-haired boy. _I sure hope so_ , he thought grudgingly. Where the hell did he go..?

“Oh, uh, okay.” 

Akaashi then turned back to the stranger and replied in agreement with a smile. The latter whooped in celebration and took him by the arm, and dragged Akaashi off. 

Well, there goes his only potential partner.

“Uh, hi?”

Kenma reluctantly turned around to the hesitant greeting and was met with a sheepish smile. “Hello?”

* * *

His eyes widened in recognition. “You’re that guy that I bumped into yesterday,” Kenma blurted out. The boy stared back at him in surprise. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have said it like that. He hurriedly lowered his head.

The guy only continued staring at him and Kenma just knew what was running in his mind. ‘Is he scared? Cautious about something?’ _Sorry for being an awkward, hot mess,_ he thought self-deprecatingly.

“Yeah, that was me. Did you get to your room okay? No, wait. Obviously you did, since you’re here. Right.” The guy winced and added, “Sorry, I keep babbling… I should probably shut up now.”

Kenma raised a brow at that. What was up with him? Did he look _that_ intimidating?

But looking at him now, he seemed to be a nice enough guy. Kenma looked around their vicinity. Everyone appeared to be paired up already, and he spied Hinata jumping around a tall, dark-haired guy with a scowl on his face. 

There goes his other option. He peered up at the guy standing beside him. Though he tried his hardest to hide it, the guy was obviously fidgeting. Hard. 

It was up to him to ask, huh?

With a sigh, Kenma mustered up the courage to just ask. It’s not like he was going to lose anything, right? 

“So, you wanted to partner up?” The boy started, muttering under his breath. 

He lit up with a grin.

* * *

He introduced himself as Kuroo Tetsurou, and his smile was so exceptionally bright that Kenma had the strange urge to cover his eyes. This guy was almost as bad as Hinata.

“You can call me what you want, by the way,” he said offhandedly. “I don’t really mind.”

“I’m Kozume… Kenma,” he introduced himself in return albeit reluctantly. 

“Kozume, huh?” Kuroo nudged him lightly with a grin, “Nice to meet you, partner.”

“Just call me Kenma,” was all Kenma said in reply. Kuroo seemed to be satisfied enough at his response despite Kenma’s obvious reluctance to interact any more than necessary. He appreciated it. 

Kenma could get used to this guy.

Their instructor called for their attention with a clap. “Everyone partnered up?”

They all called out an affirmative ‘yes’ in chorus and Ukai told them all to sit down on the floor next to their partners. Thankfully, Kuroo hadn’t dragged him off to go somewhere closer to the front, and sat right where they stood, closer to the door and behind the rest of the other kids.

Ukai stood in the middle, a hip cocked, arm akimbo and announced with an elevated voice, “For today’s exercise, I want you guys to make a routine off a combination I’m going to teach you.

“You can do what you want with it,” he added. “Experiment. You decide what the music will be. I’m teaching you the combination so you can improve on it. I want to see something fresh.”

Kenma expected the exercise to be something a bit more challenging, considering it was coming from a world-class choreographer, but this was pretty normal. His previous classes did this all the time. He didn’t know about Kuroo, but Kenma was pretty much confident he could do it no problem—

If there weren’t so many people around maybe. 

He didn’t want to admit it, but it was obvious to anyone who knew him well enough that Kenma wasn’t one to be comfortable being ogled by other people—most especially when he’s dancing. Just the thought of people staring at him…He flinched.

Maybe it was just Kenma trying to reassure himself, after all.

Kuroo stole a look at him and frowned thoughtfully. He leaned in and whispered, “Are you okay?”

Kenma flinched at the close contact. Kuroo’s breath was in his ear and he chose to ignore him and kept his gaze fixed on their instructor. 

Ukai continued, “Easy enough, right? That’s because that’s not the challenge here. It’s how well you cooperate with your partner.

“I mean,” he crossed his arms over his chest, “this is an activity in preparation for the most awaited event of this camp. I’m sure you all know what it is?” Murmuring filled the crowded studio and Kenma frowned. 

Okay, he may have spoken a little too early… 

Kuroo sidled up to him and said, “Looking forward to working with you, _Ken-ma_.” Kenma didn’t look like he was interested in acting all friendly with him, though.

But he didn’t have a choice, did he? 

Kuroo watched as Kenma sighed before replying wryly, “Let’s just get this over with.” 

Kuroo rubbed his nape. He was getting a little concerned about their partnership, but he wasn’t one to back down. Kuroo wasn’t just a dancer—he was the captain of their school dance team. His pride as a leader was on the line here, and Kenma was, despite his smaller stature, was a pretty intimidating person.

Nonetheless, sooner or later, he hoped that he and Kenma would get along. 

Kuroo would make sure of it.

* * *

“Everyone!” Ukai tapped a hand on his head, “Again, from the top!”

They spent half an hour with Ukai working on the combination, trying to get it down on pat. Kenma has always been relatively good at picking up routines, so he didn’t have much difficulty. He’d always thought of it like one of his own video games—you had to know the right combination and get the right timing down.

Plus, he was sure there were no eyes watching him discreetly since everyone was busy with learning everything to stare at others.

Kuroo was managing just as well as he was. _Thank god,_ Kenma thought. He was not in the mood to possibly lend time to helping his partner learn the moves after this. He just wanted to get things over and done with, and fast. The bleached-blonde dancer stopped in his tracks as their instructor ordered them all to sit down.

He sat back down on the studio floor. Kuroo followed suit, his thigh lightly touching his, and Kenma could feel his cheeks instinctively burn red, conscious of the warmth from his partner’s thigh. Kenma slowly and subtly pulled away, wrapping his arms around his legs. Kuroo was none the wiser.

“Good job so far.” Ukai clapped with a nod and announced, “Let’s end today’s session here. I’m giving you the rest of the day for you and your partners to prepare for the presentation tomorrow.”

He nudged his head in the door’s direction. “You can go find another place to practice, or you can stay here. I don’t care—just no funny business!” He gave Lev a warning look, “I’m talking about you, Haiba.”

“Ehhh?” The rest of the class laughed, and Kenma rolled his eyes. So he’s always been a troublemaker.

“Dismissed!” Ukai yelled before making his way to the door. Everyone in the studio started getting to their feet and looked for a space of their own to work on the activity with their partners. 

Kenma sighed, rubbing his nape. He doubted they were going to make much progress inside, but they should at least give it a try.

Kuroo offered him a hand. “Want to go outside or stay in here?”

Kenma accepted the proffered hand and shrugged in response. “I’m fine with anywhere, really.” In reality, Kenma would rather go outside and get some breathing space because this place was _cramped as hell_ , but he wasn’t going to say that.

“Are you sure?” Kuroo asked hesitantly, “We could always go out and find someplace else…if that’s what you prefer, that is.”

Kenma only shrugged, turning his back on him. “Let’s just get on with it.”

* * *

Kuroo got lucky this time around. He’d partnered up with someone really good with his feet. Stealing a glance at him, Kuroo observed his partner quietly. He must compete, right? If not, then it would be such a waste!

_But...why did he dance like this?_

With his head down, Kenma kept his movement small and subdued, enough for him to go about the routine. _Even though he was so good..._ Kuroo knew keeping it like this would end up sacrificing any of the details that came with the combination. It wasn’t smart to practice and recall like this.

He looked around their surroundings as discreetly as he could manage. Was it the place after all? Was it too rowdy?

Kuroo stared at him. Or was it the eyes watching?

He sighed inwardly. Why did he always shy away from attention? And why did this make him feel so... _strange_? 

It was almost like he’d seen this scene before-

Before Kuroo could finish his thought, a hushed voice from behind him interrupted his inner monologue. “Hey, isn’t that _that school’s_ captain?” 

_What, are they talking about me..?_ Kuroo strained his ear to hear. 

One of the girls in the corner pointed, “Oh, that blonde one! Yeah, I saw his co-captain with that Bokuto-guy just a while ago!”

 _Captain?_ Kuroo blinked. _So, he did compete!_

The other girl whispered, “He doesn’t look like a dancer though, huh?” 

Kuroo saw his partner stiffen up as the girl’s friend agreed readily, “Right?” Kenma’s shoulders slumped as he just stopped in the middle of recall. He sighed deeply.

“Hey! But he’s actually-”

Kuroo had enough. Grabbing his hoodie and bag, the black-haired boy caught his attention with a grin, nudging his head towards the door. “Wanna go find someplace else?”

* * *

“Is here okay?” Kuroo had led him to a fairly secluded part of the camp. They had passed a few people on the way here, but since it was the outskirts of camp, there was no one to bother them here. Good.

Kenma nodded, dropping his things by a tree. “Yeah.” He looked around, leaning against the tree, “Here’s good. How’d you find this place?”

Shrugging, Kuroo approached him and sat down by his feet and against the tree. “I found it yesterday. Figured I could go here to just unwind, or practice by myself. Whenever I needed a place to be alone or to think.”

Kenma breathed in the air. It was nice here. It was peaceful and quiet, he didn’t have to-

“You don’t have to worry about prying eyes here,” Kuroo said softly. He watched as his partner tucked his hands in his pockets. “That’s the first thing I made sure of after finding this place.”

Kenma didn’t look at him, instead choosing to keep his eyes trained at a nearby cabin. “How did you know?” he asked point-blank.

Kuroo looked almost sheepish. “You didn’t look like you enjoyed the attention. Was I right?”

He only nodded. What was he even supposed to say to that?

“But,” Kuroo started, “You compete, right?” How was he this conscious about eyes following his every move when he regularly competes?

“We do,” he answered blankly. “We even got to Nationals this year. But that’s different.”

“How is that any different?” Kuroo asked, genuinely curious. “People stare and criticize your routine. Isn’t that worse?”

“It wouldn’t be a competition if they didn’t judge our routine,” Kenma shot back, rolling his eyes. “It’s mandatory to get critiqued.”

“That makes sense,” he hummed. “Oh, yeah! I do too!” Kuroo grinned, “ _Compete._ I’m actually one of the co-captains of my school’s dance team.” Then, he sighed. “Ah, but we didn’t get to go to Nationals this year.”

“What? Why?” Kenma finally turned to look down at where he sat on the grass, his legs tucked under his chin. 

Kuroo gave him a sly grin, “Oya, interested about me now, partner? I see how it is…”

He turned red and immediately shifted his gaze from the boy. Huffing lightly, he murmured, “It’s not like that! Who wouldn’t ask after you mention it like that…”

Laughing, Kuroo stood up and started patting down his pants. “I’m just messing around with you! It’s a joke!” Then, he pouted. “But opening-up to other people isn’t as bad as you think it is, you know—and that includes letting others be vulnerable!” Kuroo wagged his finger at him. 

His partner narrowed his eyes at him before sighing.

“...I was always picked on,” he murmured.

“What?” Kuroo looked up at him. 

Kenma sighed again, before admitting, “The seniors in the team. They made fun of me.”

“What?” Kuroo frowned. “Why would they do that?”

The bleached-blonde boy shrugged. “Our coach was…well, he kept giving me parts that made me stand out. I didn’t want to do it, really, but he insisted that it could help us win. So, I did.” He took his hands out of his pockets and wrung them nervously. “Guess they didn’t like that.”

His partner scoffed. “If your coach gave it to you, he thought you were good! No doubt you deserve the recognition, Kenma!” 

“Didn’t stop them from making fun of me to my face,” he said humorlessly. 

Kuroo shook his head and lightly smacked him on the back with a frown. “Be confident, Kenma! They were just a bunch of jerks who were jealous of you. Don’t mind them! They don’t deserve your time.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Despite what he said, deep down inside, Kenma knew it wasn’t that easy. But this wasn’t the time to reminisce and reflect. They had an activity they had to get done. With a scowl, Kenma rolled his eyes. “Can we just start on the activity so we can finish?”

“What are you in a hurry for?” Kuroo whined. “We need to get to know each other, too! We’re partners, aren’t we?”

Kenma gave him a blank stare. “If you don’t move your ass, you’re going to _lose_ it.”

Kuroo only chuckled in response. “Right. Okay, okay, geez…” He pulled Kenma away from under the shade of the tree and into a patch of dirt, the boy grunting indifferently. “So, how do you suggest we do this?”

“Do you have any songs in mind for this one?” The bleached-blonde boy asked. 

Kuroo hummed, “Well, actually I do! I think it would suit you too.”

“Suit me?” Kenma narrowed his eyes at him, “What do you mean?”

Kuroo chucked his hoodie by the tree’s trunk. “Don’t you think our styles are very similar?” he mused. “I noticed after seeing you dance.”

Kenma shrugged. “I have a normal style.”

“Nah,” Kuroo waved him off. “You’re pretty good at footwork, aren’t ya? Not everyone can pick up the stuff you could in a minute like you, you know.”

Kenma looked wary. “Sure, but…”

“Oh, come on. Are you seriously going to push away my compliments?” The black-haired guy sighed, a brow raised at him. “It’s a compliment, Kenma!” Kenma only waved him off as Kuroo passed his phone to him. “Anyway, listen to this.”

A slow, solemn synth blared from the earphones Kuroo had plugged into his ear and Kenma found himself unconsciously timing his moves to the rhythm. Kuroo watched him quietly for a few seconds, gauging his reaction.

He took off the earphone and nodded at his partner. “Yeah, this one’s good.”

Kuroo grinned, digging inside of his bag for something. He pulled out a portable speaker. “You can get into position now.”

Kuroo stood as the song started playing.

Kenma danced along to the song, his movements sharp and deliberate, almost as if he had been dancing it his whole life. Kuroo followed suit, recalling the combination their instructor taught them from the top of his head.

The song dipped into a drop, both of them improvising as the music pulsed. 

Surprisingly, Kenma was having fun. It’d been so long since he’s danced this freely, most especially with someone other than Akaashi. He glanced at Kuroo as his mind started straying off. 

His partner was...intriguing, for lack of a better word. Kenma didn’t know why, but for some reason, Kuroo made him feel comfortable and at ease. And Kenma wasn’t one to get this comfortable with a person he technically just met today, but he wasn’t wary nor was he feeling uncomfortable around his presence.

He was actually enjoying himself. A lot.

He was about to point out a lull in the song where he thought the combination could work when Kenma heard a painful yelp. He turned to look at Kuroo, only to see the boy on the ground, clutching his...leg? 

Alarmed, Kenma crouched down next to him, eyes brimming with concern. “Wait, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Observing closely, he realized Kuroo was holding onto his knee. “Did you sprain...something?”

The boy grinned through the pain. “Fine…my knee’s just acting up again.”

Kenma placed a hand on his shoulder and another on his forearm, trying to pull him up to his feet. “Again? You mean you’ve been injured this whole time?”

Kuroo sighed. “I’m fine.”

“You wouldn’t look like that if it didn’t hurt, dumbass.”

The taller boy laughed his concern off. “Hey, that’s the first time you actually addressed me!”

“Is that really what you choose to focus on?” He frowned, then proceeded to try and pull him up by the arm.

He tried shaking off Kenma’s arm, but he was adamant. “I can handle myself,” he muttered. 

Kenma fixed him with an incredulous look. “Look. I know how bad it can get, okay? Just lean on me.”

Kuroo stared at him for a solid minute, but Kenma looked like he wasn’t going to back down. His eyes seemed to say ‘trust me’. He couldn’t argue with that...

Kuroo sighed in defeat and let himself be guided to sit against the tree. Kenma stood next to him, leaning against the trunk of the tree next to him.

As a person who valued privacy, Kenma wasn’t the type of guy to pry, so he waited for him to speak. He knew it wasn’t easy to admit to vulnerabilities like this. So he just stood there, patiently waiting.

If he decided he didn’t want to say anything, then that's fine too. But he made sure to appear that he wouldn’t mind listening.

But it seemed that Kenma didn’t have to wait long. He heard Kuroo inhale deeply before breathing out loudly. Then, the boy turned to him with a wry smile.

“I actually tore my ACL last year,” Kuroo confessed. “Then got surgery for it.”

Kenma stared back at him, waiting for him to gather his thoughts.

Kuroo then averted his eyes and looked up at the sky. “Recovery took me a full eight months. I was stuck doing therapy sessions for months while my team was preparing for Nationals.”

Suddenly, Kenma wasn’t feeling as okay as he ought to be.

His heart went out to him. Hearing all these things just made things feel even more real— _visceral_ —and Kenma was sure that at the time, no one was more disappointed than Kuroo himself. 

Just then, an image of a lone boy, face-first on the hardwood studio floor—sobs wracking his body, knuckles white—crossed his mind, and Kenma shook his head.

That was different. _This is Kuroo, your new partner,_ he thought to himself, almost scoldingly. _Someone you barely knew._

But why did he feel so affected?

Kuroo laughed wryly. “But it was too late, you know?” Kenma’s knuckles turned white hearing the tone in his partner’s voice. “By the time I recovered enough to do light training, Nationals was already just days away,” he sighed self-deprecatingly. “Even though I promised I was going to lead them to Nationals and win…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” he replied curtly. Because it wasn’t. Anyone would say so.

Kuroo only smiled coyly in reply, choosing not to say anything more. They sat in silence, and suddenly, the quiet didn’t seem all too comforting to Kenma anymore. 

The lack of response was weighing heavily on him.

Even though he was reluctant to pry even more, Kenma started. “Why didn’t you just stay at home and rest your leg?” he asked the boy quietly.

“Because I want to dance, Kenma,” he answered earnestly. Surprised at the immediate answer, Kenma turned to look at him. Kuroo met his curious gaze with his own determined one, and added, “Dancing is when I’m the happiest. It’s when I feel the most free, and the most comfortable with myself.” He bowed his head, burying it in his hands. “I just knew I couldn’t miss this opportunity.”

 _I already lost Nationals._ Kenma was sure he was thinking about it, but didn’t say anything this time.

Then, Kuroo laughed, throwing his head back. “Plus, I just know my friend Bokuto’s going to mess around if I didn’t come with.”

Kenma scoffed, taking the bait and changing the subject. “What, so you’re here to babysit?”

Grinning, Kuroo chuckled. “Pretty much!”

With the atmosphere lighter, Kenma let himself relax. And despite the bright smile on his face, Kenma knew it was all a facade. A facade that his partner was putting up to show that “ _look, I’m okay_ ”!

It was a little disheartening to see.

His partner was humming their song’s beat under his breath, his hands making miniscule movements. He found his eyes drawn to the boy’s knee, observing how Kuroo was careful not to move it too much.

_Oh, for God’s sake..._

He stood up straight and Kuroo blinked. “Kenma? Where are you going?”

Kenma craned his head back and shot him a blank look. “I’m getting you an ice pack, and you are going to ice your knee while I get the combination down. You just sit your ass down there and call my mistakes out, alright?”

Then, he turned away from him before adding, “...Kuro.”

“Hey!” Kuroo’s lips curled into a teasing grin. “My partner actually wants to take care of me-”

“Say anything more about this and I am going to fly solo tomorrow,” Kenma retorted and Kuroo zipped his mouth shut. Sighing, Kenma walked off.

“Wait!” Kuroo called out and he turned back to look at the boy. Kuroo smiled, “Thanks, Kenma.”

He only nodded in reply and stalked off to the infirmary.

Kuroo watched him walk away with a wide grin on his face and muttered to himself, “Kuro, huh?”

It was progress.

* * *

Opening the door to the room he shared with several others, Kenma was met with a newly-bathed Akaashi and his greeting. “Kozume, you’re back! You should go and take a soak. The _onsen_ feels so nice.”

He nodded and closed the door behind him. “Hey. How was practice?”

“Bokuto-san was good,” was all he said, his cheeks suddenly looking flushed. Kenma raised a brow at this. Well, that was interesting. Something must have happened. He decided not to ask for now. Akaashi looked like he was ready to bolt if he did.

Instead, Kenma shot him a knowing look. “Sure... that’s good.” Akaashi whipped his towel at his supine form on the bed, before dropping down to sit on his own.

“How about you?” Akaashi asked, drying his hair out. “Was your partner fine?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kenma peeled his hoodie off his frame and threw his body on his bed, groaning. “He’s an easy guy to be with.”

“That’s good to hear!” Then, Akaashi smiled. “Finally, I don’t have to look after you all the time, huh?”

“Shut up. You don’t even have to look after me,” he muttered. The door opened again and in came a sluggish looking Hinata, a nonchalant Tsukishima following closely behind.

Kenma raised his head from the bed and Akaashi greeted the two. “Welcome back, you two.”

“Hello, Akaashi-san, Kenma…” Hinata slurred before flopping onto his bed with a thud and a pained groan.

Both boys blinked. This was unexpected. They turned their attention to the other newcomer who only shrugged, “His partner tired him out.”

“Tired me out?” Hinata shot up from his bed with a yell. “Kageyama was a monster! A monster! I know he’s good, but he didn’t have to keep hitting me all over my body!”

“Hitting?”

Tsukishima took a sip of his water bottle and answered, “Kageyama trains him with a stick.”

“It was brutal, Kenma!” Hinata flopped onto Kenma’s bed, whining. “I wish I could’ve partnered up with you instead!”

Kenma shrugged. “I was going to ask you, but you were gone before I knew it.”

“Is it too late to change partners after all..?” The boy sighed.

Kenma hesitantly raised a hand and gave his head a little pat. “There, there…”

Hinata’s eyes welled up with unshed tears, and he latched onto him with a force that threw Kenma by surprise, and onto his back. “Kenma!”

They (meaning he and Akaashi, who was honestly concerned) spent the rest of the night comforting Hinata. There could have been better ways to spend the night, but seeing the relief on his roommate’s face after rambling his heart out made him think that maybe this wasn’t all that bad.

Dragon Quest could wait.

* * *

That morning, he and Kuroo met up outside the mess hall after breakfast. After resting his knee for the rest of the previous day, that morning, Kuroo was in peak condition again. Kenma, of course, voiced his concern, but Kuroo assured him that he really was fine this time, and that he ‘didn’t overdo it’. He damn sure shouldn’t have!

Kenma saw the serious look on his face and just relented. There was no going against him when he looked that determined. They walked to the studio after a rushed breakfast and a relatively short practice, with Kenma listening quietly as Kuroo rambled on and on about how hyped his Bokuto friend was about today’s activity. Apparently, he didn’t get enough sleep last night because of it. 

Kenma could sympathize with that. 

After Hinata calmed down from his rant, he and Lev were up in the wee hours of the night, chattering between themselves. He didn’t know where their energy came from.

When they arrived, the studio was buzzing with nervous energy and anticipation. He’d had to step away from the doorframe soon after entering the room because a kid almost barrelled into him, close to tears. Kenma winced. Must be having bad stage fright.

In a corner, he saw Oikawa with the guy that DJ-ed at the welcome party. Their eyes locked and Oikawa waved them over excitedly, “Kenma-kun, Kuroo-kun!”

Kenma begrudgingly made his way to them with Kuroo in tow. His partner greeted the two nonchalantly. “So, your partner was Kenma?” Oikawa hummed thoughtfully. “I suddenly feel bad for him…”

“What the hell are you saying, dude? I’m being such a good partner!” Kuroo frowned.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever makes you sleep at night, I guess,” Oikawa replied dismissively before turning to Kenma. “Kenma! This is Iwa-chan, my childhood friend and self-proclaimed babysitter! Iwa-chan, this is Kenma!” He ended with a grin, “We’re roommates this summer.”

“Stop calling me that. And if you weren’t such a dumbass, I wouldn’t have to babysit you.” Iwaizumi grunted and bowed, “Nice to meet you.”

“Kozume Kenma. Likewise.” Kenma bowed his head slightly, before tucking his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie. 

“How was it, working with Kuroo?” Iwaizumi asked. “Did he give you any trouble?”

Ignoring Kuroo’s obvious display of disagreement, Kenma hummed. “A little.”

“What?” Kuroo gasped, “I did not!”

“Shut up, Kuro.” Oikawa’s eyebrow shot up in interest, and Kenma avoided his eyes. The knowing grin on Oikawa’s face was obvious - _Oh? Kuro? You guys have nicknames for each other now?_

Kenma ignored him and clicked his tongue.

“Kenma?” The older boy sank onto his knees, fake-sobbing. “Did you just shut me up? And here I thought we were actually getting along…” 

“We’re not,” he deadpanned.

Despite his embarrassment, Kenma pointedly eyed his knees, and Kuroo, who noticed the concern swimming in his eyes, just shot him a wink.

“You look like you’re getting along quite well, if you ask me,” Oikawa drawled knowingly and Kenma’s cheeks turned red.

“Really?” Kuroo’s tone sounded so hopeful, but Kenma just knew it was the older boy’s way of teasing him and he was not falling for it.

He didn’t say anything, just shot Kuroo a blank look and Kuroo pouted with the absence of confirmation. “Man, you never let me have the time of day, huh Kenma?”

“...Please, just shut up.”

A large group of girls entered the studio in a hurry, and soon after them came Ukai. Kuroo nudged his side and leaned in, whispering, “You ready?”

He only shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

And sure enough, their presentation went well without a hitch.

Kenma’s breaths came out staccato and short, huffing as he slid into the ending pose and maintained it through the exhaustion weighing down his body. Beside him, Kuroo was in the same state, breathing harshly over the loud cheering.

Ukai nodded at them firmly. “That was good work, you two. You can go and take a break now.”

Both bowed their heads and said their thanks as they dragged their feet to the corner where they left their stuff. Taking a long swig of his water, Kenma found himself suddenly surrounded by people.

Caught off-guard, he kept his eyes down as they showered him with praise.

He had received more compliments than he had ever received in his entire lifetime, and Kenma begrudgingly accepted them all. It was going to take more getting used to, that he knew.

Bokuto and Akaashi, on the other hand…

Kuroo whistled. “For someone who just met, they’re incredibly in-sync.”

Kenma could see what he meant. Even for a proficient dancer and choreographer, Akaashi wasn’t always comfortable dancing with others he barely knew. He guessed that’s why he and Akaashi got along so well.

They were both relatively quiet, introverted people.

But this Bokuto Koutarou…He had his own way of doing things. He seemed to have charmed his way into Akaashi’s pace, coaxing him out of his own shell. Kenma could tell they were having so much fun dancing with each other, and from the bottom of his heart, he found himself thinking how happy he was for Akaashi.

Maybe this guy could help him get out there more.

 _Man, how hypocritical can I be,_ he thought wryly, _cheering on a friend for getting out of their shell, when I’m in the same boat._

After everyone’s presentation, Ukai instructed them all to sit down. “I’m glad to see that we’re all getting along here,” he said. “Everyone, great job with our first activity.” The studio was filled with loud applause as Ukai grinned. “You’ve all exceeded my expectations. But I’m sure you already know what it was for, huh?

“For the newcomers,” he added, “let’s just say it has something to do with the rest of your camp activities.”

The studio erupted into mutterings, everyone seemingly trying to come up with an idea of what it could be and Kuroo, who sat next to Kenma, nudged him. “What do you think it is?”

He only shrugged in reply. Hell if he’d know. He was a newcomer.

“Okay, okay,” Ukai yelled over all their voices. “Quiet down, brats! Let me speak, huh?”

He sighed in relief at the ensuing silence that followed. “Thank you. Anyway, I’m sure everyone knows about the Inter-Star Campfire Dance-Off?”

That caught everyone’s attention, and all of the kids in the room listened as Ukai drawled on. “Anyway, for our new campers: it’s a dance competition we hold at camp to showcase what you’ve learned over the summer. Everyone is free to join and to form your own teams.

“Not only is this the camp’s most-awaited event, winners also get a huge prize so I suggest you join if you can,” Ukai ended. “Registration starts this afternoon. Check the bulletin board by the mess hall to sign up. Class dismissed!”

Kenma was about to stand and walk off to get a snack when Bokuto gasped, “You guys heard the man! It’s the camp’s most-awaited event! We _have_ to join!”

Then he latched onto the person closest to him with a pout. “Right, Akaashi? You are going to join me, right? We have to!” Bokuto directed him a hopeful smile. “We are partners, hm? We need to stick together so we can enjoy camp together!” 

At the sudden close contact, Akaashi found himself feeling rather flushed and his cheeks turned red. Kenma almost let a teasing remark slip out. Instead, he chose to snicker under his breath.

Kuroo laughed. “Bro, don’t pressure the guy too much. And let him breathe, at least?”

“Whoops!” Bokuto laughed sheepishly, rubbing his nape. “Sorry, Akaashi…”

Akaashi cleared his throat, willing his heart to stop pounding harder than it already was at the sound of his name from his lips. “I’d love to join you, Bokuto-san. I did say I was going to enjoy everything the camp had to offer…”

Oh, he wasn’t going to let Akaashi off the hook this time.

 _Join him, huh?_ Kenma stared at his friend with a knowing look and the latter rolled his eyes at him, as if to say _‘shut up’._

Bokuto cheered, then turned to Kuroo with a beaming smile. “What about you, bro?”

“As if I’d let you join without me,” Kuroo answered readily, feigning disbelief. Then, he looked at Kenma expectantly. Kenma raised a brow at him inquiringly. Kuroo sighed. “What about you, Kenma? You’re joining us, right?”

The bleached-blonde boy looked hesitant. “I don’t know… I wasn’t really planning on joining any of that stuff.”

Bokuto pouted. “Come on, Ken-ken!”

Kenma raised a brow. _Ken-ken? Really?_

Akaashi was about to throw a rebuttal, intent on convincing him, when Kuroo suddenly nudged him with a sly look on his face. “Oh come on, Kenma,” he taunted, “you’re just too chicken, aren’t you, huh?”

The irritation flashed on Kenma’s face. “I am not,” he grunted.

The grin on Kuroo’s face grew wider. “You are.”

“No, I am _not_.”

“You are!” Kuroo replied cheekily. “If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be so opposed...”

Oh, he went _there_ ? “ _I. Am. Not._ ” Kenma spat out.

“Oh, yeah?” Kuroo hummed. “Then prove it.”

“Fine,” he spat out. “I’ll join.”

Seeing the triumphant smirk on the black-haired boy’s face, Kenma knew he had fallen into his trap. He grimaced, watching Bokuto and Kuroo celebrate and saw Akaashi shaking his head at him before mouthing ‘ _you fell for that one._ ’ He knew, okay? He didn’t have to rub salt on his freaking wound!

“What’s this? You’re all dancing together?” Oikawa ran to them, a spring in his step and a wide grin on his face. He flailed his arms around, calling out, “Iwa-chan, join us!”

Iwaizumi followed closely behind the excited boy and stood next to him. Kuroo came and slung an arm around his neck. “Of course Iwa’s going to join us! Right, Iwa?”

“Sure,” Iwaizumi shrugged. “I planned on skipping this year, but since you and Bokuto are joining, I can join too.” He turned to a tall, stoic boy approaching them. Akaashi nudged his head in the boy’s direction and Kenma immediately recognized him as one of the boys who danced at the camp’s Opening Night.

“What about you, Ushijima?” Iwaizumi asked. “Want to join us this year? You’re not going to dance with your team this year _again_ , right?”

Ushijima just nodded with a minute shrug. “Okay.”

“Wait, what? Ushiwaka’s joining _us_ ?” Oikawa grimaced. “Then, _I’m_ not joining!”

Ushijima raised a brow in confusion as Iwaizumi scoffed and Kenma grimaced, stating in unison, “Petty.”

Iwaizumi gave Kenma a surprised look. “You knew?”

He shrugged. “He didn’t hide his distaste. Only a moron wouldn’t catch on.”

“Wha- Kenma-kun, _too_ ?” Oikawa whined. “How dare you guys _fraternize with the enemy?_ ”

“We’re teammates now, shitty Oikawa,” Iwaizumi retorted.

“I am _not_ shitty!”

“Shitty Oikawa.”

“Iwa-chan!”

 _Good lord, help us,_ Kenma internally sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to scream at me in the comments or hit me up at my twitter: [@B0KUAKA_](https://www.twitter.com/B0KUAKA_). Thank you and see you next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to scream at me in the comments or hit me up at my twitter: [@B0KUAKA_](https://www.twitter.com/B0KUAKA_). Thank you and see you next chapter!


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